POLOKWANE – Taking a gap year is the last thing on Stanford Lake College gr. 12 learner, Michelle Chitate’s mind.
“I want to be a surgeon or a lecturer. I need something to challenge me and have been looking at my options and decided that the brain is the thing that will challenge me the most. So starting 2014 I will start preparing myself just for that, studying to be a brain surgeon,” she says with a smile and it is clear to see that this 17-year-old is ready for whatever challenge she may encounter in the future.
In the pipeline for Michelle for 2014 are starting her studies in medicine at the University of Cape Town, joining a club or doing something where she can live out her love for public speaking and joining a spor t club to play netball.
Receiving the Georgina Smit Trophy for the gr. 12 learner who, by being pro-active and having the courage to stand up for what is right and made a positive contribution to school-sharing, Michelle was awarded for looking into getting learners to be diligent in their dress code and the overall manners when at school.
She also received the Geldenhuys Trophy awarded to a gr. 12 learner who has achieved excellence in all spheres of school life.
Michell was awarded this award because she received full colours for academics, full colours for culture as she was active in all the school plays, a speaker on the debating team and her involvement in the cultural tours held by the school.
Although many teachers have inspired her, she says two teachers stand out above the rest.
“My English and debating teachers always have everything prepared when we come to class and make the subject very interesting. This opened my eyes to how interesting a language can be and this contributed to my love for public speaking.
They also taught us to look at things differently and this made a real difference in many aspects of my life. I really believe that one should look for what makes life interesting and not just take things on face value,” she says.
Her biggest dream has always been to help people in a certain way that is both groundbreaking and challenging and she applies this to her studies as well.
“I have a blackboard in my room that I use to learn on and would usually take some of my subjects and explain them out load as if I was teaching a class.
I also make up funny riddles and sentences that help me remember.
This helps me understand better and get the learning done a lot quicker,” she explains.
Her most challenging subject is Afrikaans because it is not her home language and understanding the context is a challenge.
The one thing that school has taught her is the acceptance of different people in all the ways they are different.
“This is something that will help me for the rest of my life as I come across different people in life,” she smiles.
Finger painting is one of her hobbies as she believes that thinking out of the box is what life is all about and does not like to be bound by something like a paint brush.
Making vision boards is something that she takes very seriously as this has proven to be a way to make wishes and dreams come true for her.
Michell has two sisters. Her older sister, Nyasha is a civil engineer and her younger sister, Kudzai is in gr. 4 at Mitchell House.
She says she is inspired by her parents.
Although her father, Francis is a physician, she says he advised her to follow her heart and study whatever she wants to do.
Michell says her mother, Lorraine, who owns a lodge in the city has the biggest influence in her life.
“I really look up to my mother.
Whenever she tells me I’m not allowed to go somewhere or do something I know it is in my best interest. This has kept me out of trouble.
“I am always so busy that I do not see the bigger picture and this is where my mother is excellent.
She always sees the bigger picture.”
She says the most important thing she has learnt from her mother is to take the first step and the rest will follow.
“What ever you want to happen is up to you, if you believe it has already happened it is yours,” she says.
